Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) today issued the following statement in response to a report produced by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, which was financed by those who want government-run health care through Senate Bill 562.

"Californians should take today's report with a grain of salt as it was financed by those who want government-run health care. It stretches the imagination to think that the same folks who are overseeing a failing Medi-Cal system, a high-speed train to nowhere, and computer system upgrades that are over budget will somehow magically deliver us better health care at a lower cost.

"Even if we accept at face value the report's claim that it would only cost $331 billion per year to run government-run health care, that is still far more than Governor Brown's proposed $183 billion budget for 2017-18. SB 562 would still require massive tax increases on our economy and families. SB 562 is a false promise that will raise taxes, kill jobs and deliver mediocre care at higher cost," said Senate Republican Leader Bates.